Unleashing the Power of CoCo Gauff: Psychological Strategies to Crush Your Goals

At 19 years old, CoCo Gauff just beat Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final to become a Grand Slam Champion. CoCo’s calm approach and ability to turn things around were stunning.  

Watching CoCo’s Zen-like composure naturally made me think of one thing - astronauts.  

Control Your Emotions

In his book, The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday describes how, in the race to get an American into space, NASA needed their astronauts to have one skill: how to not panic. As Holiday put it:

Before the first launch, NASA re-created the fateful day for the astronauts over and over, step by step, hundreds of times—from what they’d have for breakfast to the ride to the airfield. Slowly, in a graded series of “exposures,” the astronauts were introduced to every sight and sound of the experience of their firing into space … Uncertainty and fear are relieved by authority. Training is authority. It’s a release valve. With enough exposure, you can adapt out those perfectly ordinary, even innate, fears that are bred mostly from unfamiliarity … John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the earth, spent nearly a day in space still keeping his heart rate under 100 beats per minute.

CoCo had just that: the authority over her emotions that comes from training and repetition. At age seven, she was practicing with a tennis pro two hours a day, and by the age of 10, she was working with Serena Williams’ tennis pro. CoCo put in the time. And while most of us aren’t preparing for the U.S. Open or conquering space, the ability to persevere through endless repetition and trial gives us the emotional resilience to stay calm and not panic.

Imagine

On the day of the U.S. Open, CoCo's father, Corey, donned a t-shirt with the word "imagine" printed on it. He told her that he had a vision of her triumph at the U.S. Open. In other words, she and her parents envisioned her win. Visualization is widely used in sports psychology to improve athletic performance. Athletes can improve their performance on the field or in the gym by mentally rehearsing sports movements and strategies. They use visualization to enhance their skills, build confidence, and manage anxiety. This tool isn’t just for athletes. Visualizing your future self accomplishing a desired goal is powerful.  

Thank You, NaySayers!

During CoCo’s U.S. Open victory speech, what stood out was the comment about people who put her down:

Honestly, thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,” Gauff said on the mic. “A month ago, I won a 500 title, and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a 1000 title, and people were saying that was as big as it was going to get. So three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy now. I tried my best to carry this with grace. Those who thought you were putting water on my fire were really adding gas to it, and now I’m really burning so bright.

We have a choice when others put us down or criticize us. We can take it in and believe it or use it as “gas on our fire.” It’s challenging to keep from taking in the negative views of others, and, in fact, much of psychotherapy is aimed at helping patients dial down the negative attitudes or opinions of others they've internalized that are self-limiting. There’s something powerful and moving about this journey of fighting back against these negative ways of seeing ourselves and coming into our own. 

Find Your Squad

CoCo protects herself against the haters with the unconditional love she gets from her squad of people. Brené Brown describes the power of her “Square Squad.”

Here’s the solution we shared in Daring Greatly: Get a one-inch by one-inch piece of paper and write down the names of the people whose opinions of you matter. It needs to be small because it forces you to edit. Fold it and put it in your wallet. Then take ten minutes to reach out to those people—your square squad—and share a little gratitude. You can keep it simple: I’m getting clear on whose opinions matter to me. Thank you for being one of those people. I’m grateful that you care enough to be honest and real with me. If you need a rubric for choosing the people, here’s the best I have: The people on your list should be the people who love you not despite your vulnerability and imperfections, but because of them.

Looking out at her family, coaches, and friends, all wearing t-shirts that read, “Call Me CoCo Champion,” CoCo expressed her gratitude to her “square squad” for their unwavering love and support. Life is a team sport, and we all need our people.

As I’ve written before, there’s much to learn from the great performers of our time. And there’s so much more to say about CoCo’s U.S. Open win, but these psychological takeaways have inspired me over the last few weeks.

So, let me ask…

• What tool have you found helpful in managing your emotions?

• When have you used the power of visualizing your successful future self to achieve a goal?

• What do you think about the idea of a “square squad?” Who’s on your square?

Let me know in the comments or hit “reply” to this email.